If church leaders taught the Word & equipped believers, there would be little need for DE. Where did believers go in the First Century for training in theology? They were taught by the elders in their assemblies. Our church leaders are ill-equipped to actually train laypersons to their fullest spiritual potentials in Biblical understanding. Is this not what the Word means when church leaders are commanded to feed the flock?
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Lowest Price accredited theology degree by mail?
- Thread starter jprieto
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To be fair, the first century Christians did not have a completed New Testament to study, they did not have 2000 years of church history to learn, and the majority of them already knew the Biblical languages.
Unless you are at a VERY large church, with many elders that are trained and educated in various fields, a single local church is ill equipped to educate ministers. However, most Seminary classes are taught by people who are, or have been, Pastors and elders. So the same principle applies.
The church I attended in my adolesent and tenn years had a pastor who taught verse by verse book by book. He used the words soteriology, pnuematology and exchatology and taught us what they menat and how they were to be utilized by believers. He taught Grace and the Faith Rest life. He taught us how to grow and study God's word and there are churches today who still have those type of pastors, they are few and far between but they do exist.
The problem we have is that men like myself who were brought up in that type of church are excluded from consideration by pastor search committee's because of not having a degree. That is why I pursued my bachelor's through DE and other ways to attend classes. Now I am studying DE for my masters while working 9 hours from home and having time on my hands it makes perfect sense to study by menas of distance learning. I pasrtored a small church for 7 years and while pastoring received my Associates degree. Ten years later still working on the road and now have my Bachelor's. So there are reasons for obtaining a degree by menas of DE. Many of the courses I take a second hand teaching most I received at a young age and on my own study. I still pick up some good tips but much I already know.
No I am not bragging just making a comment of how it is for me. I imagine there are others like me.
michaelbowe
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While this seems to be ideal, it has never been put to practice. The Disciples had to leave their careers to go the "Jesus Theological Seminary", Timothy left his family and followed under Paul, Paul did his "undergraduate" with Gamiel, then left to the wilderness for three years. Throughout Church history people have not gone through the church for their preparations for ministry. Instead, churches started schools, such as Harvard, Princeton, etc.
However, the church needs to be involved. When I was in seminary, I was told on many occasions, "Do not go into the church and teach these things." I somewhat understand the reasoning behind that statement, but do not like it. The church needs to help with the practical aspects of ministry. While I was in seminary, I interned. This included pastoral duties such as running committee meetings, hospital visits, preaching, tough decision making, etc etc etc. Preaching is the fun part of ministry, but there is a lot more to it than that, Seminary and church should work hand in hand.
Now, I am a product of both a residential program and a distance program. I do not like it when someone says, I cant just move my family to go to school. Again, referencing my earlier example, the disciples left EVERYTHING to follow Jesus. However, distance education is a great way to get a education. It is challenging and requires a lot of discipline. However, residential work requires discipline as well. Residential work requires scheduling times to sit in the class, homework time, just as distance ed does. Rigor is good in both settings, if the school is rightly accredited. There are exceptions to this, but in general if the school is not accredited it will not be a rigorous as an accredited degree program.
Therefore, regarding the main question of the thread. I know you mentioned that you know about Liberty, but I would look at it again. Cost wise it is hard to beat, and the school has pretty much made the way in regard to accredited distance ed. I think there are more challenging schools available, but Liberty is hard to beat on a cost level.
There is a wealth of resources available to any size church. Churches are not focused on an indepth, study of God's Word, but on man-centered lecturing. Often, it is one man lecturing to the congregation instead of all members systematically studying the Word together. The smallest of churches can equip itself for a deeper understanding of God's Word, but that requires a complete change in how they think about "church" and the role of assembling.
The pastor of the Church preaching to the congregation, is the model seen in the New Testament. Paul "lectured" throughout an entire night, so that a man feel asleep and fell out a window.
Preaching is preeminent in the church, according to scripture. Not small group studies. The small group study is an invention of the 19th and 20th century, which has brought untold damage, and horrific doctrine into the church, as unqualified, uncalled, and unlearned men pass on what they have insufficiently studied themselves.
Organized educational efforts in the church goes all the way back to the New Testament, in the house of Titius Justus, where Paul stayed "lecturing" and teaching these young men, for a year and a half.
WowOn those grounds, one could just as easily denounce the sermon.
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